Even though the weather had improved, they did not sing or tell stories that day, the next day, or the third. They began to feel that they were surrounded by a dangerous aura. The group of people lived in the open, and even the pony ate more sumptuous food than them. Because there was grass everywhere, even if they counted the food they took from the cannibal women, they still did not have much food. One morning, they crossed a rather wide river, which was covered with protruding boulders and splashing foam. The other side of the river bank was steep and slippery. When they finally led the pony ashore, they noticed that there was a huge mountain range not far away. It seemed that they only needed to travel for another day to reach the nearest foot of the mountain. The mountain range looked very dark and mysterious. Sunlight scattered on it, and behind the steep slope was a mountain covered in snow.
"Is that the mountain we were talking about?”Birbo opened his eyes wide and asked in a serious tone. He had never seen such a big thing before.
"Of course not!" Balin said," This is just the outer edge of the Misty Mountains. We have to find a way to go around, pass through, or drill down. Only then can we reach the Great Wilderness. It would take a long time to reach the mountain where Smaug and our treasure lie from the other side.”
"Oh!" said Birbo, and for the first time in his life he felt that his whole body could be so tired. He once again missed the comfortable rocking chair in his cave, his favorite living room, and the sound of boiling water. Of course, this was not the last time!
Gandalf was leading the way. "We must not leave the main road, or we will be finished!”" We need food," he said." We need to be able to rest safely. At the same time, you have to cross the Misty Mountains on the right path, or you'll get lost easily. Even if you are lucky enough to survive, you will have to start from scratch.”
They asked him which way he was going, and he replied,""Some of you should know that we've reached the edge of the wilderness. Not far away was Rivendell, the place where Elrond lived, and also the last sanctuary in this world. I've asked a friend to send a message. They're waiting for us.”
This sounded quite reassuring, but they had not reached that place yet. It was not as easy as they thought to find the last shelter in the west of the mountain range. There seemed to be no trees, valleys, or hills in front of them to guide them. There was only a huge slope that slowly rose and merged with the nearest mountain range. This piece of land was desolate, with only gray and brown air of decay. There were some weak green plants growing around, and moss grew in places with thin water vapor.
The morning passed and it was already afternoon, but there was still no one in this silent wasteland. They felt uneasy as they realized that Rivendell could be hiding somewhere between here and the mountains. Along the way, they discovered many hidden valleys. Not only were they narrow, but they were also very steep. They would suddenly appear in front of them. When they looked down, they were surprised to find that there were dense trees and flowing water under their feet. There were many deep ditches that they could jump over, but there were also extremely deep water currents in them. In addition, there were many dark valleys that could not be jumped over or climbed. Moreover, there were many swamps in the surroundings. It seemed to be a calm and flat land with lush flowers and trees, but if a small horse carrying luggage rushed in, it would never be able to leave.
From the ferry to the foot of the mountain, it was much wider than everyone had guessed. Birbo was quite shocked. The only road was paved with white stones. Some were very small gravel, and some were half-covered with moss. These different obstacles made it difficult to advance on this road, even under the leadership of Gandalf, who was very familiar with the surroundings.
When he observed the rocks on the ground, his head and beard would move left and right. Everyone followed his gaze, but when the sky was getting dark, they did not seem to be closer to the end of their journey. Afternoon tea time had long passed. It seemed that dinner time would not change much. Moths were flying about, and the light was quite dim because the moon had not yet risen. They came to a sudden slope, and even Gandalf almost slipped down.
"We're finally here!" He shouted, and the others gathered around to look down. They could see a valley in the distance and hear the sound of water leaping over the rocky riverbed. The air was filled with the scent of trees, and there was a warm light in the valley across the river.
Birbo would never forget how they had embarked on the winding path into the secret valley of Rivendell. As they gradually walked down, the air became warmer, and the smell of pine trees made them sleepy. Birbo kept nodding, almost falling off his horse many times, or hitting his nose on the horse's neck. As they walked down, their spirits turned to excitement. The trees were replaced by birch and oak trees, and they felt at ease under the cover of dusk. When they reached the open meadow at the edge of the river, the sunlight was almost gone.
"Yes, yes! It smells like elves!" Birbo thought as he looked up at the stars that were emitting dazzling blue and white light. At this moment, a voice that sounded like laughter came from the forest.
Oh! What are you doing?
Where do you want to go?
Your pony needs to rest!
The river was still flowing happily!
Oh! Drip, drip, splash,
The valley and the river did not stop!
Oh! What are you looking for?
Where are you going?
The firewood is smoking,
The cornbread is in the oven!
Oh! Rustle, pitter-patter, pitter-patter,
The valley is free and unfettered, ha! Hah!
Oh! Where is your beard swaying?
Where did he want to go?
Don't know, don't know,
What made Mr. Baggins,
And Mr Balin and Mr Dwarin,
In June
Stepping into the valley, ha! Hah!
Oh! Will you stay?
Or running around?
Your pony is already tired!
The sky was gradually turning dark!
Running around is very stupid.
He would be very happy if he stayed!
talking and laughing
Until the sky is bright and my stomach is full,
Listen to our tune, ha! Hah!
They sang and laughed in the forest. I think you would think that this is a beautiful tune. Although the content is not profound, they don't care. Even if you rashly tell them this, they will only sing more and more arrogantly. They are elves. Soon, as the sky gradually darkened, Birbo noticed their figures. Although he rarely met them, he loved elves. Although he was a little afraid of them, the dwarves did not get along well with them. Any dwarf who lived a decent life, like Thorin and his companions, would think that they were stupid.）Or she would get angry when she saw them. Some elves would laugh at them, mostly because of the dwarves 'beards.
"Alright, alright!" A voice said,"Look! Bilbo the Hobbit on a pony! It looks really cute!"
"It's wonderful!"
Then they sang another song that was just as ridiculous as the previous one. Finally, a tall young man came forward and bowed to Gandalf and Thorin respectively.
"Welcome to the valley!" he said.
"Thank you so much!" Thorin mumbled. However, Gandalf had already dismounted and was chatting happily with the elves.
The elf said," You're going in the wrong direction. If you want to cross the river to our residence, this is the wrong way. We'll take you there, but before you cross the bridge, you'd better dismount and walk. Are you going to stay and sing with us, or are you going to go in directly? Dinner is being prepared. I can smell the firewood.”
Although Birbo was already weak, he still wanted to stop. If you liked this tune, listening to the elves sing under the starry sky in June was a big deal. In addition, he also wanted to talk to these people who seemed to know him like the back of their hands but had never met before. He thought that their views on this adventure might be very interesting. The elves knew a lot of information. They could collect any information as quickly as flowing water and knew what the various races were busy with.
However, the dwarves only wanted to have dinner and did not want to stay at all. They had to lead the pony forward until they reached the river. The river in front of him was flowing rapidly. When the sun shone on the snow on the top of the mountain all day, the stream that melted from the snow in the mountains would become like this. There was only a small bridge without guardrails across the river. It was so narrow that only a small horse could walk on it. Everyone had to carefully lead the horse and cross it one by one. The elves brought bright oil lamps to illuminate the shore and sang happily as the procession passed.
"Dad, don't soak your beard in water!”They shouted at Thorin, who was almost lying on the bridge,""It's long enough without soaking in water!"
"And don't let Birbo eat all the cake!”"He's too fat to get through the keyhole!" they yelled.”
"Shh, shh! Good people! Thank you for your kindness. Goodnight!" Gandalf was the last to pass." There are often unexpected guests listening in the valley. Some elves are really too talkative. Good night, everyone!"
They finally arrived at the last shelter and stepped through the open door.
※※※
Although it sounds a little strange, I think all readers can understand that the comfortable days and good things seem to have passed in an instant. Those disgusting, scary, and uncomfortable things could make a good story and often take up the most space. They stayed there for a long time, at least two weeks, and in the end, they were even reluctant to leave. Birbo still wanted to stay there for the rest of his life. He even suppressed his desire to go back to his hometown immediately. However, there was really nothing much to say about the time they had lived here.
The owner of this residence was the so-called Elven Friend. His father once played an important role in ancient history. It was a great war between the orcs, elves, and the first humans in the north. At this time, there were still some people in the world who had the bloodline of the northern elves and heroes. Elrond was the leader of these people.
He was as handsome as an elf noble, as strong as a warrior, as wise as a wizard, as respected as a dwarf king, and as warm as a summer breeze. He has appeared in many stories, but in Bilbo's great adventure, he has played a rather insignificant role, though, if you see it all the way to the end, you will know that it is a rather important role. The place where he lived was perfect. It was suitable for anyone who wanted to eat, sleep, work, or even tell a story, sing, or meditate. Evil things could not get close to this valley.
I wish I could tell you more of the stories that Bilbo and his companions have heard here. After staying there for a few days, everyone, including Xiao Ma, felt refreshed and energetic. Their clothes, wounds, tempers, and hopes had all been mended. Their bags were filled with food that was light but durable enough for them to cross the mountains. Their plan was improved under the suggestions of these people. Time slowly passed, and finally, it was the day of the summer solstice. They were prepared to leave this place at daybreak.
Elrond recognized all kinds of runes. When he first saw the sword taken out from the cave of the cannibal woman, he said,"These are definitely not weapons made by cannibals. They are ancient weapons, forged by my compatriots, the Western High Elves in Gondolin, to fight against the Orcs. It must have come from the treasure vault of the dragon or the orcs, because many eras ago, that place was destroyed by them. Thorin, the sword you are holding is called the Bite Sword. In the ancient language of Gondolin, it is a famous sword for killing orcs. Gandalf, this is the Enemy Fencing Granry, a weapon used by the King of Gondolin to attack his enemies. Take good care of them!"
"I wonder how these cannibal women got their hands on these things?”Thorin looked at the weapon in his hand with great interest.
" I don't know," Elrond said."However, perhaps the cannibal woman you defeated will also rob other bandits, or perhaps she found these treasures that have been lost for a long time in the northern mountains. I once heard that after the war between the orcs and dwarves, there were still many treasures hidden in the mines of Moria.”
Thorin pondered the other party's words. " I will keep this sword with honor," he said."May it be able to kill the evil orcs again!”
"I'm afraid that once you enter the mountain, you will have a chance to fulfill this wish!”Elrond said,"But let me see your map first!"”
He looked at it carefully for a long time and shook his head, because he could not agree with the dwarves 'trip and their love for gold. Of course, he hated the evil dragons and their cruel acts. The thought of the ruins of River Cove Town, the once happy bells, and the charred banks of the River Rush made him very sad. He raised the map high, and the moonlight of the new moon actually penetrated the map. "What is this?" He said," Next to the simple rune of 'Three people can walk side by side through the five-foot-tall gate', there are also words of the moon.”
"What are moon characters?" asked the Hobbit excitedly. As I told you before, he loves maps, and he also loves runes and all kinds of words, or beautiful calligraphy. However, every time he wanted to copy it, his handwriting always seemed a little thin and thin.
" The Moon Runes are also runes, but you can't see them easily," Elrond said."You can't see anything if you look directly at them. They would only appear when the moonlight shone on these maps. The more elaborate design was that the words would only appear when they were written in the same season, moon shape, and day. The dwarves invented this kind of writing. They wrote it with a silver pen. Just ask your friends. These words must have been written under the new moon on the evening of the summer solstice long ago.”
"What does it say?" said Gandalf and Thorin in unison. It was Elrond who discovered this first, which made them feel a little embarrassed. However, only the heavens knew that they had no idea at all before this. They did not know how long they would have to wait before they could encounter such a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity again.
Elrond read," When the thrush strikes, stand by the gray rock, and the setting sun will shine on the keyhole through the middle of the Day of Turin.”
"Turin, Turin!" " He is the oldest ancestor of the dwarves," Thorin said." He is Lord Longhu, and also the earliest ancestor of my family. I am considered his heir.”
"Then when is the Day of Turin?”Elrond asked.
" It's the first day of the Dwarf New Year," Thorin said."Everyone knows that it was the first day of the last month of the autumn and winter social season. When the last moon and sun of autumn appear together in the sky, we call it the Day of Turin. However, I'm afraid this won't be of much help to us, because the technology to accurately predict the arrival of this day has been lost since this era.”
" We'll know when the time comes," Gandalf said."Are there any other words on it?"
" Can't see in this moonlight," Elrond said, handing the map back to Thorin. Then they walked together to the water's edge and watched the elves dance and sing in the moonlight on the eve of the summer solstice.
The next morning, it was the summer solstice. It was as beautiful and fresh as everyone had dreamed of. There was not a single cloud in the blue sky, and the sun shone on the pure water. With everyone's blessings, they rode their horses far away. They were already prepared to face an even greater adventure, and they knew that they had to enter the Misty Mountains and head to the land behind the mountains.
This book comes from：m.funovel.com。